Thursday, June 19, 2014

This is our 'Aqeedah

This is Our ‘Aqeedah - Shaykh Abū Muhammad al-Maqdisî
 

CONTENT

-Introduction
-The Tawhid of Allāh  -Tawhid al-Asma’ was-Sifaat  -The Angels -The Messengers and the Prophets -The Companions and Ahlul-Bayt -The Last Day -Imān in the Vision -Imān in Al-Qadr -Imān -Kufr -The Kufr of Democracy -Takfir  -Upon Whom Takfir is Performed -Bid’ah -Understanding the Qur’an -Takfir and Irja’ -Scholars -Public Schools  -Dār al-Kufr and Dār al-Islam and their Inhabitants -The Salah -Dua’ for the Rulers -Government Scholars -Jihād & Khuruj  -The Rulers -At-Ta’ifah al-Mansurah  -Conclusion

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Introduction

“This is our ‘aqeedah (Creed). Whoever possesses two eyes then let him read and whoever possesses hearing then let him listen!” All praise is for Allāh, the Lord of the worlds, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, the Master of the Day of Judgment. May the salah (prayer) and the salām (peace) be upon the seal of the Prophets and Messengers and upon all of his family and companions. To proceed: This is a summary of what we believe in and what we worship Allāh with from the most important areas of the deen(religion). I wrote it in my jail cell after it had reached me that there were some people who were ascribing things to us and putting words in our mouths that we have never said; in particular, in the areas of kufr(Disbelief) and imān(Belief). Before this, I was never concerned with writing about the likes of this subject. That is because our scholars have sufficed and fulfilled in that. In addition, the seeker of truth who is fair is able to become familiar with our statements from out detailed books. I was not concerned with this until it was requested of me by some of the brothers in tawheed(The oneness/unity of Allāh, means that Allāh has no associates or parents) that would often visit us in prison. That was after they came across people who were not clear about our statements in some of the areas of kufr and imān, therefore, I hastened and responded to that noble brother’s request for the sake of outlining the issues and familiarizing others with the general and most important things that we believe and have faith in. Perhaps by that, I can shut the door on those that seek out game in some generalized statements or quote us as saying what we have not said, or to ascribe to us and hold us to implications that are not from our way; especially given the fact that I know that many beginning students of knowledge have access to our books and that some issues may confuse them, especially some of the itlāqāt(All inclusive/unrestricted statements) and generalizations that they may read in our da’wah books wherein in many of them we address the tāwāghīt and their likes from the legislators and their allies from the armies of shirk(Setting up partners in worship with Allāh) and partnership and those like them whom Allāh has commanded us to proclaim disavowal from them and to censure them. So perhaps we kept some of the texts of threat(Texts that threaten with punishment for certain acts) unrestricted and upon their apparent meaning without interpretation. Or maybe we generalized rulings upon a certain type of action and thus, the weak student of knowledge was not capable of differentiating between that and leveling the ruling upon specific individuals. Maybe we kept some all-inclusive unrestricted statements upon their apparent meanings without any elucidation and interpretation so that it would be more effective in repelling those who were being addressed of those whose crutch is seeking out concessions and points of exit that cause the destruction of sins to become belittled.
That is all done by me out of following the example of the path of many of the salaf(Pious predecessors) in generalizing the texts of threat just as Allāh, the Most High, has generalized them, and passing them on without any dispute regarding their interpretation. This is so that it is more effective in repelling as Allāh the Most High wanted.   Indeed, an act of disobedience that Allāh attached a curse to is not like other acts of disobedience. And indeed, an action that Allāh described and that the Messenger of Allāh, صلى االله عليه و سلم, called kufr is not like other actions. This is the case unless, however, it is feared that those who are addressed will not understand, so therefore in that case, recourse is taken in tafsīl(Elucidation) and this is how we are in our detailed books.   Similarly, I know that some of the extreme mukaffirah get a hold of some of what we have written for the sake of searching for what gives support to their ways and I am completely confident that if they were fair seekers of the truth, then they would not be able to stumble upon anything that they are seeking unless they were to misquote me. Similarly, I know that many of our opponents from the Murji’ah(People who separate faith from acts) of this era and those who resemble them examine our books, not in search for the truth, but rather in search of all-inclusive generalized statements that perhaps we even quoted from some scholars, imāms and callers. That is so they can attach those statements against us all in their effort to confound our call by giving our words meanings that they do not contain and in order to place implications upon us that we do not subscribe to.

So to all of these I say: Fear Allāh and say words that are upright and remember the hadīth of al-Mustafā[Prophet Muhammad [SalAllahu Aleyhi wasallam]: “Whoever says about a believer that which is not in him, Allāh will place him in the pus of the inhabitants of the fire until he takes it back.
I openly announce without any hesitation: Every statement that I have made in my written works, whether that has come out or will someday come out, if it came with what was in opposition to the Book and the sunnah and was hidden to me, then I am the first one to take it back and declare myself free from it and I will adhere to that text with my molar teeth. The one who reads these pages shall see that much of our words are clearly influenced- nay, perhaps even word for word by what was repeated in al-‘Aqīdah at-Tahawiyyah or al-Wāsitiyyah(Books of Aqeedah) and books similar to them. That is not something strange, for we were profoundly influenced by these books in the beginning of our quest for knowledge and by the bounty of Allāh; we have both studied and taught them repeatedly. In those books, our scholars would go to great lengths in expounding upon the issues of their times that were magnified in their tribulation spread far and wide and were in need of being expounded upon in order to refute the parties from the sects that had deviated from the path of ahlus sunnah wal-jamā’ah, or due to an innovation that was wide spread in those days. Along with that, you will see them summarizing and passing quickly over other issues because of the small amount of dispute or confusion that was in them at the time. Perhaps they would mention issues of jurisprudence in the course of their discussion about creed, and that was in refutation against the opposition from the people of innovation in those issues. That was so ahlus sunnah could be distinguished from the people of innovation and so that disavowal from them could be recorded- even if it be in those subsidiary matters of jurisprudence that primarily branched out from a fundamental that the people of innovation were alone in shadh(Possessing) .   In these papers, we have attempted just that, so we have not dealt with everything that those books mentioned in issues of creed, rather, we have focused on particular areas in which we have seen much confusion and mixing having increased around us in these times or in the issues that we feared, lest they be ascribed to us if that hasn’t already occurred of things that we have not said.
We ask Allāh to accept our efforts and to make our actions sincerely for His Noble Face and to make us firm upon the ‘aqīdah of the saved group - ahlus sunnah wal-jamā’ah and to make us of the victorious group.
He is our Protecting Friend and what a good Protecting Friend and Disposer of affairs He is indeed.
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The Tawhīd of Allāh

We say concerning the tawhīd of Allāh that Allāh is One without any partners, not in His Lordship, Divinity or in His names and attributes. So there is no creator besides Him and no lord besides Him. There is no provider, no master, and no one that disposes of the affairs in this existence except Him. We single out Allāh the Glorified in His actions, just as we single Him out in our actions as well. So we single Him out in our acts of worship and in our intention and will for there is nothing that is worshipped in truth except Him, the Glorified so we testify just as Allāh testified for Himself, as well as the Angels and those endowed with knowledge as He is always maintaining His creation with justice. We testify that there is none that has the right to be worshipped but Him, al- Azīz[The Almighty], al-Hakīm[The Most Wise]. We say that while affirming what this mighty word affirms of singling out the worship for Allāh alone, as well as its necessary implications and rights. And we say that while also negating what it negates of the types of shirk and partnerships and what follows behind that.   And we believe that the purpose for which Allāh created the creation is worshipping Him alone, as the Most High said: “And I have not created mankind or Jinn except to worship Me.” - [Adh-Dhariyat :56]

  And we call to singling Him, the Glorified out for all types of worship such as: prostration, bowing, vowing, tawaf(Circumambulation), sacrifice, slaughter, supplication, legislation or other than it.

Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying is for Allāh the Lord of the worlds without any partner. With that I have been commanded and I am the first of the Muslims.” - [Al-Anām, 162-163]
And the command of the Lord, the Glorified includes both the universal and legislative command. So therefore, just as He, the Glorified is alone in the divine decree in that He is the one who disposes of the affairs in the universe and the One who judges in it what He wants as according to His wisdom. So similarly, we single Him, the Glorified, out in His legislative ruling. Therefore, we do not associate any one in His ruling and we do not associate any one in His worship.
“Certainly, to Him belong the creation and the command. Blessed is Allāh the Lord of the worlds.” - [Al-A’raf, 54]
Hence, the halāl(permissible) is what Allāh made halāl and the harām(Prohibited) is what He made harām: “The ruling is for none but Allāh. He has commanded that you worship none but Him.” - [Surah Yoosuf, 40] So there is no legislator in truth but Him, the Glorified and Most High. We declare enmity and disavowal and we remove and disbelieve in every legislator besides Him, so we seek none besides Him as a lord and we do not take anyone besides Him the Glorified as a Protecting Friend and we seek no other dīn besides Islam. Therefore, whoever takes a judge and legislator besides Him the Glorified following him and traversing with him in his legislation that is in opposition to the legislation of Allāh, then he has taken a lord besides Allāh and sought a religion besides Islām.   The Most High said: “And certainly, the Shayātīn do inspire their friends (from mankind) to dispute with you, and if you obey them, then you would indeed be mushrikūn (polytheists).”- [Al-An’am, 121]

And the Most High said: “They took their Rabbis and Monks as lords besides Allāh.” - [At-Tawbah, 31]

Tawhid al-Asma’ was-Sifaat

Similarly, we single Him, the Glorified, out in His names and attributes. So, there is no equal, no similitude, no resemblance, and no likeness unto Him, the Glorified: ُ “Say, He is Allāh the One. Allāh as-Samad (free of all wants). He begets not, nor is He begotten, and there is none like unto Him.”- [Al-Ikhlaas, 1-4]

He, the Glorified is singled out with the attributes of glory and completion that He has described Himself with in His Book or what His Prophet described Him with in his sunnah. So we do not attribute anyone from His creation with anything of His attributes nor do we derive names for him that person from His names, we strike no similitude for Him, the Glorified or resemble Him with any of the creation nor do we deviate by denial in the names of our Lord the Glorified.


Rather, we believe in what He described Himself with and what His Messenger described Him with, in reality and not figuratively, without distortion, denial, asking ‘how’ or resembling. “…to Him belongs the highest example in the heavens and the earth and He is al- ‘Azīz (the Almighty) al-Hakīm (the Most Wise).” - [Ar-Rum, 27]

We do not negate anything from Him of what He, the Glorified, has described Himself with. We do not change a word from its proper place, nor do we enter into that while interpreting things with our opinions or bringing absurdities from our imaginations using tanzīh(Declaring Allāh free from all imperfections and deficiencies) as an evidence in support of that.   No one has found salvation in His dīn save the one who has submitted to Allāh the Mighty the Sublime and His Messenger and relegated the knowledge of that which is unclear to him to the one who knows it.

The foothold on Islam is not established for anyone save on the basis of submission and surrender so whoever delves into the knowledge of what he has been warned about and was not contented with surrendering his understanding, then his actions will veil him from correct imān and pure tawhīd. And we believe that Allāh revealed His Book with clear Arabic speech, so we do not do tafwīd(To affirm the attribute but claim that no one knows what it is but Allāh) of the meanings of the attributes rather we only do tafwīd of the ‘how’ and we say: “We have believed in it. It is all from our Lord.” - [Âl-‘Imraan, 7]

And we declare our disavowal and freedom in front of Allāh from the denial of the Jahmiyyah(Deniers of the Names and Attributes of Allāh) and the resemblance of the Mushabbihah(Those who resembled between Allāh and His creation), so we do not incline to either these or those, nay, we stand firmly and in the middle just as our Lord wanted; we stand between negation and affirmation for He, the Glorified, said: “Nothing is like unto Him and He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.” - [Ash-Shūra, 11]

Therefore, whoever was not on guard against denial and resemblance then he will slip and not achieve actual tanzīh. In this area of creed, just as in all of the other areas, we are upon what our pious predecessors, ahlus sunnah wal-jamā’ah, were upon.

From that creed, there is what Allāh informed us of in His Book and what was reported from numerous routes of transmission from His Messenger, that He is above His heavens, risen above the Throne as the Most High said:
“Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allāh), will not cause the earth to sink with you, then behold it shakes (as in an earthquake)?” - [Al-Mulk, 16]


And as is reported in the hadīth of the slave girl that the Prophet asked: “Where is Allāh?” and she said: “In the heavens.” So He asked: “Who am I?” She replied: “You are the Messenger of Allāh.” He said: “Free her, for indeed she is a believer.”And this is the truth in which there is no doubt. With that, however, we guard it just as our pious predecessors guarded it from false conjectures. For example, that it is imagined that the heavens shade Him or confines Him, for this indeed is false. We have been compelled to mention this, negate it and declare Allāh free from it and if the salaf were never actually faced with negating then the people of innovation and their false implications would annoy and be a nuisance to ahlus sunnah.

For the Most High said:
“His Kursi extends over the heavens and earth.” - [Al-Baqarah, 255]


And He, the Glorified, said:
“Indeed, Allāh holds the heavens and the earth lest they cease.” - [Fâtir, 41]
“He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission.” - [Al Hajj, 65] “And from His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command.” - [Rûm, 25]

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  And we believe that He, the Glorified, is risen above His throne, as the Most High said:
“The Most Merciful rose above the throne.” - [Ta Ha, 5]
We do not interpret istiwā(Rising) to mean conquering. On the contrary, it is upon its meaning in the language of the Arabs that Allāh sent the Qur’ān with. We do not liken the rising to the rising of any of His creation, rather, we say as Imām Mālik said: “Istiwā is known, imān in it is obligatory. The ‘how’ is unknown and asking about it is an innovation.” And it is in this manner that we pass on the rest of His attributes and actions, the Glorified and Most High such as: descending, coming and other actions and attributes that He, the Glorified has informed us of in His Book or what has been affirmed in the authentic sunnah. And we believe that along with his istiwā over the throne and His Highness above His heavens, the Glorified the Most High we believe that He is close to His slaves as the Glorified said:
“And if my slaves ask concerning Me, then indeed I am Close.” - [Al-Baqarah, 186]

  And in the agreed upon hadīth: “Oh people! Have mercy upon yourselves, for verily you are not calling upon One that is deaf or that is absent. Nay, you are calling upon One that is All Hearing, All Seeing. Indeed, the one whom you are calling is closer to you than the neck of his riding animal.”
He is with His slaves wherever they are and He knows what they are doing as the Most High said:
“And He is with you wherever you may be and Allāh is All-Seeing of what you do.” - [Al-Hadeed, 4]
It is not to be understood from His words: “He is with you” the intent of the heretics stating that He is mixed with His creation, or that He has merged in some of them or united with them or anything else of the beliefs of kufr and misguidance. Nay, we declare ourselves free unto Allāh from all of that. And He, the Glorified has with His believing slaves another ma’iyyah[with] that is not the general ma’iyyah and it is the ma’iyyah of victory, granting success and correctness as is in His statement, the Most High, said:  “Indeed, Allāh is with those who observe taqwā and those who are good doers.” - [An-Nahl, 128]  

So He, the Glorified, along with his istiwā over His throne and His ascendancy above His heavens, He is with His slaves wherever they may be and He knows what they do. He, the Glorified, is close to the one that supplicates to Him and He is with His believing slaves; He protects them, aids them and assists them, so His closeness, the Glorified and His ma’iyyah does not negate His ascendancy and highness for there is none like unto Him in His attributes, the Glorified. He is High in His closeness, Close in His highness.From the fruits of this tremendous tawhīd is that the right of Allāh over His slaves is:
The success of the muwahhid(The one who singles out Allāh in tawhīd) is the attainment of the Paradise of His Lord and salvation from the Fire as is in the hadīth of Mu’ādh ibn Jabal. From it also is the glorification of the Lord and magnification of Him by knowing His attributes of perfection and nobility. Also from it is glorifying Him and declaring Him far removed from any similitude or likeness, as well as knowing the foolishness of those who took equals with Him, associating them as partners in worship, judgment, or legislation and knowing the lowliness and worthlessness of those that took themselves as partners in anything of that even though they did not take themselves as partners in the creation, nor do they possess any portion of dominion, provision or disposal of affairs.   And it is from that that the heart and the soul become free from the bondage of the creation. And from that, the slave finds firmness in the life of this world and in the hereafter. Hence, the one who used to worship varying partners, invoking them and dividing his fear and hope among them, this one is not like the one who singled out His Lord, the Glorified, and devoted his fear, hope, intent, purpose and worship to Him. Oh Allāh, Oh Protecting Friend of Islām and its people, make us firm upon Your tawhīd until we meet You.


The Angels

And we believe in the angels of Allāh and that they are honored slaves of Allāh who do not precede Him with any statement and they are humbly submitted due to fear of Him and they glorify Him in the night and the day and do not become tired. So we ally with them and love them because they are from the soldiers of Allāh and because they seek forgiveness for those who believe and we hate those who hate them. From them is Jibrīl the truthful spirit, Mikā’īl, and Isrāfīl who is entrusted with blowing the Trumpet. And from them are those that are in charge of carrying the Throne, as well as the angels of death, Munkar and Nakīr, Mālik the angel in charge of the hell fire, Ridwān the one in charge of Paradise, and the angel of the mountains, the noble writers who record the deeds and many others that are not enumerated except by Allāh the Most High. It is established in the  two Sahīhs in the hadīth of Anas  in the story of the Mi’rāj(Night Journey) that the Prophet was raised up to the Bait al-Ma’mūr(Allah’s House) in the heavens wherein seventy thousand angels enter and pray inside every day never to return to it after they exit it.

And in Sahīh Muslim from ‘A’ishah, the Mother of the believers, it states that the Messenger of Allāh said: “The angels were created from light and the jinn were created from a smokeless fire and Adam was created from what was described to you.”

By the command of Allāh, an angel can take the form of a human, as appears in the story of Maryam and the hadīth of Jibril when he asked the Prophet about islām, imān and ihsān. As for his original appearance, Allāh the Most High mentioned in the Qur’ān that He made from the angels messengers with wings, two, three and four, and he adds to the creation what He wills. Indeed, Allāh is capable over all things. The Prophet saw Jibrīl in his original form and he possessed six hundred wings that stretched across the horizon.


From the fruits of this imān in the angels:

From the fruits of this imān is the glorification of Allāh the Most High for certainly, the greatness of the creation indicates the greatness of the Creator. From its fruits is that it awakens the slave as to who is with him of the angels of Allāh the Most High and from that also, it makes the believing slave who is a stranger with his imān more firm and removes from him any loneliness because of the lack of supporters due to him remembering that with him there are guards from Allāh.

And in Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Abū Hurairah, said: “The Messenger of Allāh, ;said: “If Allāh loves a person, He calls Jibrīl saying, ‘Allāh loves so-and-so, O Jibrīl, love him.’ Jibrīl would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven. ‘Allāh loves so-and-so, therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth.”

So it is upon the believing slave to love and ally himself with those whom Allāh, His angels, and the believing slaves love. And it is upon him to hate and have enmity and disavowal those whom Allāh the Most High, His angels, and the believing slaves hate for that indeed is the strong handhold of imān.

The Books

And we believe in the books of Allāh the Most High that He, the Glorified, has revealed to His Messengers in general, and we believe in, in detail, that which He named from them, such as the Tawrāh, the Injīl and the Zābūr and that the final one is the Qur’ān al-Adhīm, the speech of the Lord of the worlds in reality. It was brought by the trustworthy spirit Jibrīl to Muhammad in order for him to be from the Messengers this Book was revealed to be over the other books of Allāh. It is revealed from Allāh the Most High and it is not created. And nothing of the speech of humans equals it. So therefore, whoever says:
“This is nothing more than the statement of man.” - [Al-Muddathir, 25]
Whoever says that then he has disbelieved, and the words of the Most High that apply to him, if he does not take that back and repent. are: “I shall cast him into as-Saqar (i.e. the Hell-Fire).” - [Al-Muddathir, 26]


And we believe that Allāh spoke directly to Mūsā. And we believe that Allāh the Most High guarded His book from alteration and replacement. The Most High said:
Indeed We have sent down the reminder (i.e. the Qur’ān) and certainly We shall guard it." - [Al-Hijr, 9]


And Allāh related the warning to it as He said:
“It has been revealed to me this Qur’ān in order to warn by it and whomever it reaches.” - [Al-An’ām, 19]  

And we believe that His Book is the firm handhold and His mighty rope that whomever grasps will be saved and whomever turns away from it, abandoned it, and ran away from it is destroyed and has slipped and gone far astray.

From the fruits of this imān is taking the Qur’ān with strength, holding firm to it and magnifying its commandments and acting in accordance with it and not using some of it against other parts of it, as well as imān in its unclear while referring the unclear to the clear-cut upon the path of those well grounded in knowledge.


The Messengers and the Prophets

And we believe in all of the Prophets of Allāh and His Messengers that Allāh the ,صلى االله عليه و سلم ,Most High informed us of in His Book, or whom His Messenger informed us of in his sunnah. We believe in them from those that Allāh has informed us of and those whom He has not detailed and we do not distinguish between any of His Messengers. He united all of them with one fundamental as He, the Glorified said:
“ We have certainly sent to every nation a Messenger (proclaiming): “Worship Allāh, and avoid the tāghūt.” - [An-Nahl, 36]
And the Most High said:
“And We have not sent before you any Prophet except that We revealed to him that none has the right to be worshipped in truth but Me so worship Me.” - [Al-Anbiya, 25]

“Messengers, senders of glad tiding and warning so that there is no argument with Allāh after the Messengers.” - [An-Nisā, 165]
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And the Most High said: “And We will not punish a people until We have sent a Messenger.” - [Al-Isra, 15]
And the Most High said:
“Every time a company is thrown into it, its keepers ask them: “Did there not come to you a warner?” they said: “Yes indeed!” - [Al-Mulk, 8-9]
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And the guidance of dalālah(showing) and directing that is upon them and it is not decreed for them to guide the hearts of the slaves, for the hearts are between the fingers of al-Rahmān and He turns them as He wills.
And that is because guidance is of two types: 1. The guidance of dalālah and directing that the Prophets, Messengers and callers expended efforts toward.

The Most High said: “And indeed you certainly guide to the straight path.” - [Ash-Shūra, 52]   2. The guidance of capability and success and none can do this save Allāh. 

The Most High said: “Verily, you do not guide whom you love, but Allāh guides whom He wills.” - [Al-Qasas, 56]

And He the Glorified, the Most High said: “Their guidance is not upon you.” - [Al-Baqarah, 272]


And this type of guidance is a bounty from Allāh and justice that He, the Glorified bestows upon the one that He knows to have pursuit and search for the truth. The Most High said: “And those that strive in Our paths We shall indeed guide them to Our paths.” - [Al-Ankabūt, 69]
And he said: “Whoever avidly seeks good will be given it.
As for the first type of guidance, it is from the justice of Allāh, the Most High and His mercy that He has bestowed it upon all of the creation.

And we believe in the miracles of the Prophets and we guard their rights and behave with manners toward them. We do not prefer anyone of the people over them, not the awliyā(allies), not the imāms, nor anyone else. Yet, in addition to all of this, they are humans, created, and they possess nothing of the particular qualities of Rubūbiyyah(Lordship) or Ulūhiyyah(Deification). On the contrary, the particular qualities of the humans apply to them as well, such as: sickness, death, need for food and drink, etc.

Allāh the Most High said commanding His Prophet Muhammad to say:
“Say: I hold not for myself (the power of) benefit or harm, except what Allāh has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.” - [Al-Arāf, 188]  


And we believe that the seal of the Prophets and Messengers is our Prophet Muhammad,so there is no Prophet after him, and his sharī’ah is the dominant sharī’ah over the other legislations until the Day of Judgment. The slave will not be a believer until he follows it and whole-heartedly submits to its judgments. The Most High said: “No, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you the judge in that whatever disputes occur among them, thereafter finding no discomfort from what you have decided and they submit completely.” - [An-Nisa,65]

And we believe that Allāh took Muhammad, as a khalīl(close intimate friend), just as He took Ibrāhīm as a khalīl. He sent him as a mercy to all of the worlds, and He commanded him and commanded his ummah(community of muslims) to take the example of the millah(way) of Ibrāhīm. He said: “Then We revealed to you to follow the Millah of Ibrāhīm uprightly, and he was not from the polytheists.” - [An-Nahl, 123]
And He the Glorified said: “Certainly there was for you a good example in Ibrāhīm and those with him when they said to their people: “verily, we are free from you and what you worship besides Allāh. We disbelieve in you and there has appeared between you and us enmity and hatred forever until you believe in Allāh alone.” - [Al-Mumtahinah, 4]

So we take that as an example until we meet Allāh, hence, we declare barā’(disavowal, freedom) from the mushrikūn, their helpers, and their allies. We hate them and we declare our barā’ from what they worship besides Allāh, and we disbelieve in their methodologies, their religions and their false paths that oppose the dīn of Allāh. We manifest and announce and make clear our enmity to those who oppose Allāh from them, those who wage war against the truth and those who openly proclaim their falsehood and that does not prevent us from giving da’wah to them and clarifying the truth for the ones of them that want to hear, and we hope for their guidance.
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    From the fruits of this imān in the Messengers:
• Being aware of some of the noble bounties of Allāh upon the creation and to be thankful for them. From the greatest of His bounties is His mercy towards them by sending the Messengers to them in order to guide them to the straight path and to inform them of that which will cause them to reach Paradise and save them from the punishment of the fire.

• From that: Loving the Messengers, praising them, sending the salāh and the salāms upon them, supplicating for them due to what they endured of harms from their people and what they suffered of calamities in the da’wah, following and taking them as an example in that and following them in their methodology and sunnah and their life history and call unto Allāh.
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The Companions and Ahlul-Bayt
And we love, with the love of the Messenger of Allāh, the purified people of āl-al-Bayt(Messenger’s house) and his companions, followers and helpers until the Day of Judgment. We ally ourselves with them and we do not declare barā’ from any of them. Nay, we hate those who hate them and if they mention them with no good, then we mention them with nothing but good.

According to us, love of them is dīn, imān and ihsān; by it we seek to draw close to Allāh, the Most High And we distinguish ourselves from the people of innovation by having a clean heart and tongue for the companions and we do not bore from invoking the statement of the Most High: “Oh our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who have proceeded us in Imān, and do not place any resentment in our hearts for those who have believed. Oh our Lord, indeed you are the One Full of pity, Merciful.” - [Al-Hashr, 10]  

And we declare our barā’ towards the path of the Rawāfid(the Shi’ah) who hate the companions of the Prophet, and curse them. And we declare our barā’ from the path of the Nawāsib who shown enmity towards āl-al-Bayt.

We show Alī, Fātimah, Hasan, Hussain and the rest of āl-al-Bayt their rights, so we love them and do not go to extremes with them: “Guard for āl-al-Bayt the obligation of their rights And we recognize Alī completely Do not decrease or increase from his position For due to that, two groups will arrive in the fire The first of them are not pleased with him as Khalīfah And the other raises him as a second deity.” - [Poetry]
Along with this, we say as the Prophet, said: “Whoever was slowed by his actions will not be sped up by his lineage.”


So we declare our barā’ from the one who has disbelieved and legislated or apostated or deviated from the straight path, regardless of who their kin are. We withhold from what occurred between the companions of the Prophet for in that they were either exercising their ijtihād and were correct or ,they were exercising their ijtihād and were incorrect, so for some of them there is one reward and for some there are two.
“Say the best word regarding the companions of Ahmad And compliment all of the family and females (of them) Leave what occurred between the companions of disputes By their swords on the day the two groups met For their killed are from them and the killers of them are of them And both of them are dealt with mercy on the gathering.” - [Poetry]

We do not accept everything of history that the narrators gathered and what, every person wrote and with that they are not infallible, yet, as the Prophet informed, they are the best of the generations and the mudd(Two handfulls measurment) of one of them in charity is better than the likes of Mount Uhud in gold for those after them.   And we love the ansār(helpers) of the dīn in every time period until the establishment of the hour, those of them that are close and those of them that are far, from those whom we know and from those whom we do not know and it does not harm them if we do not know them.
And we do not declare our barā’ from any one of them or treat him like the non- Muslims. Nay, we ally with them, supplicate for them, help them and we make effort to be from among them.

The Last Day

And we believe in the trial of the grave, its delight for the believers and its punishment for those who deserve it, as the reports from the Messenger of Allāh, have come with from numerous routes of transmission. We do not look at the false interpretations of the people of innovation. Concerning this, the Most High said:
“The fire; they are exposed to it in the morning and the evening and the day the hour appears, (it will be said): Make the people of Firawn enter the severest punishment.” - [Al-Ghâfir, 46]
And from Zaid ibn Thābit, who narrated that the Prophet, صلى االله عليه و سلم, said: “If were not that I fear that you all would bury yourselves, I would have supplicated to Allāh that He makes you hear what I hear from the punishment in the grave.”- then Zaid adds, he turned his face from us and said: “Seek refuge with Allāh from the punishment in the grave.”  - [Sahih Muslim]


And in the long hadīth of Barā’ ibn Âzib that was narrated by Imām Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd in which the Prophet, said that if the believer answers the two angels in his grave… “Then a caller from the heavens will call out saying: “Indeed my servant has spoken the truth, so spread a place for him in Paradise, and open a door to Paradise for him.” He said, “So some of its fragrance and scent comes to him and his grave is extended as far as the eye can see.”


And the trial of the grave is: the questioning of Munkar and Nakīr directed towards the slave in the grave, asking about his Lord, his dīn and his prophet. And Allāh makes those who believe firm with a firm word. Oh Allāh, Oh Protecting Friend of Islām and its people, make us firm with the firm word in the life of the world and in the hereafter.

As for the kāfir, he shall say: “Ahh! Ahh! I don’t know.” And the munāfiq(The Hypocrite) and the one who blindly followed the masses in his dīn will say: “I don’t know. I heard the people saying something so I also said it.” And the conditions of the barzakh(The barrier between this life and the hereafter) are from the affairs of the unseen that the dead person comprehends and no one besides him. It is not comprehended by sensory perception in the life of this world.
For that reason, having imān in it is from that which distinguishes the believer in the unseen from the one who denies it.   And we believe in the signs of the hour that Allāh, the Most High, informed us of in His Book and that His Prophet us of in his Sunnah; such as the appearance of the Dajjāl(anti-Christ) in reality without looking at the false interpretations of the people of innovation, even if we do believe that his general types of trials are present in every era until he appears in reality. And we believe in the descent of ‘Isā ibn Maryam, alayhis salām(peace be upon him) from the heavens and that he is the one that shall kill the Dajjāl. And we believe in the rising of the sun from the west and the appearance of the beast of the earth and everything else that Allāh the Most High informed of, or His Prophet (SAW).
  And we believe in the resurrection after death, the reward for the actions on the Day of Judgment, the standing, the account, the reading of the books and the scales. The Most High said: “Then surely, on the Day of Judgment you shall all be resurrected.” - [Al-Mu’minūn, 16]

So the people will stand for the Lord of the worlds barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised.


The Most High said: “As We began the creation, we will repeat it. (That is) a promise binding upon us. Indeed We will do it.” - [Al-Anbiya, 104]   And the Most High said:“And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so no soul will be treated unjustoly at all. And if there is (even) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it fourth. And sufficient are we as accountant.” - [Al-Anbiya, 47]
  And we believe in the pond of our Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Aleyhi wasallam) on the Day of Judgment, and that its water whiter than milk, sweeter than honey and its utensils are more numerous than the stars of the heavens. Its length is one month’s journey and its width is one month’s journey. Whoever drinks from it will never feel thirst again.

Oh Allāh, the Protecting friend of Islām and its people, do not forbid us from it. And we believe that groups of the ummah of Muhammad (sallAllahu Aleyhi wasallam), will approach it and will be prevented from coming to it on a day in which the sun will lower itself upon the heads of the slaves, to the point where the sweat of the people will be according to their actions so from them there are those that it will reach their ankles, from them there are those that it will reach to their knees, from them there are those that it will reach to their necks, and there are from them those that it will completely cover them.


From those that will approach it and will be prevented from it are the helpers of the oppressive tyrannical leaders, those who entered upon them and declared them truthful in their lies and assisted them in their oppression. Likewise, those who will come close to it and be repelled will be those who replaced, innovated or made up something in the dīn of Allāh. On that day, the Prophet will say: ”Be away! Be away for those who replaced (things) after me!”. And we believe in the traverse that will be placed over the Hell-fire and it is the bridge that is between the Paradise and the Fire. The people will cross it according to their deeds.

So from them are those that will cross it like the blink of an eye. From them are those that will cross it like a flash of lightning. From them are those that will cross it like a fast horse. From them are those that will cross it like a camel rider. From them are those that will cross it running, some walking, some crawling and some will be snatched and thrown into the Hell-fire. Upon the traverse there are dogs that will snatch the people according to their deeds, so whoever crosses over the traverse will enter the Paradise and be saved. Oh Allāh the Protecting Friend of Islām and its people save us from the fire.   So if they traverse it they will stand in front of a vault that is between the Paradise and the Fire wherein they shall exact retribution from each other so when they are completed and purified, permission will be given to them to enter the Paradise. The first one that shall open the gate of the Paradise will be Muhammad (sallAllahu Aleyhi wasallam) and the first nation that shall enter the Paradise shall be his ummah.   And we believe in the Paradise and the Fire and that they are both created and shall not perish unless what is intended by perishing is the perishing of the fire for the Muwahhidūn (Muslims).


  Allāh has created people for both of them, so whoever He wills from them then they will enter the Paradise due to His bounty. Whoever He wills from them then they will enter the Fire due to His justice. The Paradise is the abode of delight that Allāh the Most High has prepared for the believers in a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allāh), the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honor. In it there are types of permanent bounties that which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and what has never occurred in the heart of man.

The Most High said: “And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes (i.e. satisfaction) as a reward for what they used to do.” - [As-Sajdah, 17]


As for the fire, it is the abode of punishment that Allāh has primarily prepared for the kāfirūn. The Most High said: “And fear the Fire that has been prepared for the Kāfirūn.” - [Âl-Imraan, 131]
The disobedient of the Muslims shall enter it. However; it is not the abode that has been prepared for them. And it is for that reason that if they enter it, they shall not reside therein forever. Rather, they shall be punished according to the degree of their sins then their final destination shall be the abode of the believers (i.e. Paradise).
And we believe in the intersession that Allāh gave permission to His Prophet Muhammad(sallAllahu Aleyhi wasallam) to do. So, in the judgment he will possess three intercessions:
As for the first one: it is his intercession for the people in general after the people go to the prophets Adam, Nūh, Ibrāhīm, Mūsā and ‘Isā, alayhim as salām, and, they refuse until it reaches our Prophet
As for the second one: him interceding for the people of Paradise to enter the Paradise. And these two intercessions are particular to him As for the third one: it is his intercession for the one who deserves the Fire from among the Muwahhidūn (Muslims) in order to be taken out of it or not enter it. This type is for him and the rest of the prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and their likes from among those whom Allāh has granted permission to. So he will intercede for the one who deserved the Fire to not enter it and he will intercede for the one who has already entered it to exit from it. Allāh the Most High will take some people out of the Fire without any intercession due to His bounty and mercy, the Glorified. There will remain space in the Paradise so Allāh will bring forth people and enter them into the Paradise. Imān in the intersession is a distinction whereby we oppose the Khawārij who declare the people of major sins to be eternally in the Fire.


Imān in the Vision

And we believe in the vision of the believers toward their Lord on the Day of Judgment and in the Paradise as the Most High said: “Faces on that day bright. Looking at their Lord.” - [Al-Qiyamah, 22-23]


And reports have been narrated from numerous routes of transmission from the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllahu Aleyhi wasallam) that state that the believers will see their Lord on the Day of Judgment just as they see moon on a clear night not crowding each other to see it.


  We do not make resemblance between our Lord and anything of His creation. The resemblance in this hadīth is merely the resemblance of the vision with the vision in terms of clarity and lack of crowding. It is not resemblance of that which is seen with that which is seen. Whoever is bereft of this insight and imān in this, then it is possible that he will be forbidden this bounty on the Day of Increase.

And along with this, He, the Glorified said: “Visions do not perceive Him while He comprehends and perceives the sight.” - [Al-An’ām, 103]  

So rather, we only affirm what Allāh, the Glorified, the Most High, affirmed of looking at Him, and what His Prophet Muhammad, affirmed of the believers vision of Him, the Glorified. Looking and vision are something less than comprehension and perceiving, so stop at the boundaries of Allāh and do not carry meaning with the texts of revelation which they do not carry and do not reject or deny anything from it, thereby slipping into destruction.


  From the effects of Imān in that:

• Serious action for the obtainment of what Allāh the Most High has prepared for the believers and salvation from what He has promised the disobedient and kāfirūn.

• Not feeling despair over what passes by the believer of the things of the worldly life or what he receives of harms, afflictions and tribulations due to his imān, da’wah and jihād for which he hopes for it being replaced by things in the hereafter and its delights and rewards as well as other numerous fruits. That is because imān in that is not how many people think, in that it is mere knowledge based matters and information. Rather, it is imān, confirmation and assent that push to action.

Imān in Al-Qadr

And we believe in the divine decree, the good and bad results thereof and that Allāh created the creation and decreed the destinies and decided the appointed terms. He knew what they would do before He created them, so He knew what was and what shall be and what shall never come to pass and He knows, if it where to happen, how it would be.
He guided them to the two paths, ordered them with His obedience, forbade them from His disobedience and everything runs according to His decree and divine will. It is His will that is carried out and there is no will for the slaves except what He has willed for them. So whatever He willed for them will happen and whatever He did not will shall not come to pass. He guides whom He wills, He protects and saves out of His bounty. He leads astray whom He wills and He makes wretched and abandons who He wills out of justice from Him. All of the slaves fluctuate in His will between His bounty and His justice. There is no one to prevent His decree, no one to counter His wisdom and there is no one to overcome His command.
There is nothing obligatory from the slaves upon Him. Nay, and there is no wasted effort towards Him If they are punished, then it is by His justice or if they are given delight, it is by His bounty and He is al-Kabīr(The Most Great) al-Wāsi(The Expansive)” - [Poetry]


Good and evil are both decreed upon the slaves and Allāh has not burdened the slaves with more than they can bear. There is no movement or power except by Allāh. That means: there is no escape for anyone, and no movement for anyone from disobedience to Allāh except by knowledge of Allāh, the Glorified. And there is no power for anyone to establish obedience to Allāh and firmness upon it except by success granted by Allāh. And just as things made as ways and means are from the decree of Allāh that are from Him, likewise, their causes are from the decree of Allāh that are from Him.


The two levels of Imān in the Qadr
Imān in the divine decree has two levels, and each level comprises two things: The first level: Imān that Allāh knew what the creation were doing of actions. So His knowledge of everything in His creation has proceeded them, so He decreed that with a very clear and decisive decree.

The Most High said: “And not absent from your Lord is any (part) of an atoms weight within the earth or within the heaven or anything smaller than that or greater but that it is in a clear register.” - (Yūnus, 61)

And the Most High said: “And He has created each thing and determined it with precise determination.” - (Furqân, 2)

And He said: “And ever is the command of Allāh a destiny decreed.” - [Al-Ahzâb, 38]  

.
Then that was written in the preserved tablet and it is composed of the decrees of the creation.

From ‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit who said: “Oh my son! You will not find the reality of imān until you know that what befell you could not have missed you, and that what missed you could not have befell you. I heard the Messenger of Allāh (SalAllahu Aleyhi wasallam) say: “Verily, the first thing that Allāh created was the pen, so He said to it: “Write.” And it said: “What should I write oh Lord?” He said: “Write the destinies of everything until the last hour.” ‘Ubādah continues: Oh my son! Verily I heard the Messenger of Allāh say: “Whoever dies upon other than that (belief) then he is not from me.”
The Most High said: “Do you not know that Allāh knows what is in the heaven and the earth? Indeed that is in a record. Indeed that, for Allāh, is easy.” - [Al-Hajj, 70]
In some places, these decrees are general, while in other places, they are specific. He wrote in the preserved tablet what He willed, and when He creates a fetus before breathing into it its soul, He sends to it an angel that is commanded to write four words: his provision, his life span, his actions and whether he shall be wretched or happy.
So, if the creation were to all gather to prevent something that Allāh, the Most High, has written to come to pass, they will not be able to. And if they were all to gather to cause something to happen that was not written by Allāh, they will not be able to. The pens have dried with that which will be until the Day of Judgment. And whatever misses a slave, it was not going to befall him and whatever befalls him, it was not going to miss him. The second level: Imān in the will of Allāh that is carried out and His all- encompassing power and imān that whatever Allāh wills shall come to pass and that whatever He does not will, shall never happen and that there is no movement or stillness that is in the heavens or earth except by the will of Allāh, the Glorified, the Most High and there is nothing in His dominion except what He wants. Along with that, He has commanded His slaves to obey Him and obey His Messengers and He has forbidden them from disobeying Him. He loves the people of taqwā(fear of Allah), the good doers and the just. He is pleased with those who believe and do righteous actions. He does not love the kāfirūn. He is not pleased with the criminal people and He does not order with vileness nor is He pleased with kufr for His slaves and He does not love corruption.

  So He, the Glorfied, has two wills:

• The legislative will: and it is His legislative command in which He, the Glorified, could be disobeyed or opposed in.

• The will of the decree wherein you will not find any replacement of the sunnah of Allāh nor will you find in the sunnah of Allāh any change. His universal and decreed command is not disobeyed.   So the former is His sunnah in command and legislation, whereas the sunnah in the latter is in decree and destiny.


And the actions of the slaves are created by Allāh and are done by the slaves. So the slaves are the performers of the actions in reality and Allāh is the creator of their actions. The slave referred to here is the believer and the kāfir, the righteous and the corrupt and the praying and fasting one.   The slaves possess ability to perform their actions and they possess will, however, it is Allāh who is their creator and the creator of their ability and will. The Most High said: “And Allāh has created you all and that which you do.” - [As-Saffat, 96]   And the Most High said:
“For the one from among you who wish to keep upright. And you do not will unless Allāh the Lord of the worlds wills.” - [At-Takwir, 28-29]
And this level is denied by the generality of the Qadariyyah(The deniers of pre-determination) and some of the people of affirmation of Allāh’s divine decree have gone to extremes in it, to the point where they have totally removed any ability and choice from the slave and have taken away from the actions of Allāh and His rulings on their wisdoms and benefits.
  Hence, we are in the middle in the matter of the qadr between the Jabriyyah and the Qadariyyah. Our actions and will are created, and the human is the one who does his actions in reality and out of choice. He possesses desire and will. In general, this is what is needed in this issue by the one whom Allāh has illuminated his heart from the allies of Allāh the Most High.   The basis of the qadr is the secret of Allāh in His creation and Allāh has withheld the detailed knowledge of it from His slaves and He has forbidden them from delving deeply into it.

The Most High said in His book: “He is not questioned about what He does whereas they are questioned.” - [Al-Anbiya, 23]

So, whoever asks: “why did He do that?”, then he has rejected the ruling of the Book(Al-Qur’an) and whoever rejects the ruling of the Book then he has disbelieved, fell into loss and destruction. This is because knowledge is of two types: • A knowledge that Allāh the Most High has sent down to the creation and thus is present. • A knowledge that Allāh has veiled from them and thus in not present. Therefore, denying the knowledge that is present is kufr, and claiming knowledge of that which isn’t present is kufr. Imān is not established except by accepting the knowledge that is present and leaving the knowledge that is not, and referring it back to the One who knows it, al-Ghafūr(The Most Forgiving), al-Wadūd(The Affectionate).


Imān

Imān is: action, statement, and intention, so it is belief in the heart, assent upon the tongue and actions of the limbs.

The belief in the insides or the heart is: its statement and action. So the statement of the heart is its awareness or its knowledge and affirmation. From its actions: pleasure, submission, love, compliance, humble contentment and its likes.

The statement is: the statement of the heart and the tongue. The action is: the action of the heart and the bodily limbs. Confirmation (belief) occurs in the heart, the tongue and the bodily limbs.
Imān increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. It possesses branches as the truthful and believed one informed: its highest part is Lā Ilāha Illa Allāh and its smallest part is removing the harmful thing from the path. It has many bonds. The strongest of them is: love for the sake of Allāh and hatred for the sake of Allāh, and allegiance for the sake of Allāh and disavowal for the sake of Allāh.
And from its branches is that which is the basis of imān in which imān itself is removed and negated upon its removal- such as the branches of tawhīd (La Ilaha Illa Allāh), salah and its likes of which the Legislator (Allāh) textually stated the removal of imān and its negation upon the abandonment of those matters. And from it there is what is from the obligations of imān, in which the obligatory imān is negated due to its removal; such as, loving for the sake of Allāh, hating for the sake of Allāh, for ones neighbor to feel safe from his harm and other such matters in which a person gets a sin for leaving off. Similarly from it is the abandonment of the forbidden things, such as, fornication, drinking alcohol and theft.

The one who commits that does not disbelieve nor is the basis of imān removed from him. On the contrary, that decreases his obligatory imān, thereby he is not from the believers who deserve the unrestricted promise of reward and being of those that are safe from the threat. From the branches of imān is that which is from the completion of the recommended imān, such as; removing the harmful thing from the path, general kindness and its likes from that which is from the recommended imān, hence, the one who is deficient in it does not accrue sin.

Having said that, imān has a root that, without which, imān is not valid. It has that which is obligatory and complete and that which is recommended and complete. Every negation of imān that appears in the textual evidence of the legislation, then what is intended by it is either negating the basis of imān in which in that case, the person described with it would be a kafir, such as in the words of the Most High: “And no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you the judge in that which arises between them [of disputes, etc] then thereafter not finding within themselves any discomfort from what you have judged, and submit in full willing submission.” - [An-Nisa, 65]


  It is either that or what is intended by it is the negation of the obligatory imān; meaning the obligatory and complete and this person will be a sinner and a corrupt one, 
such as in the statement of the Prophet: “He whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil will not enter Paradise.”
Or his statement: “The fornicator does not fornicate while he is a believer…” until the end of the hadīth.
Or his statement: “None of you truly believe until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
That is because the negation of imān is in the context of threat, and the threat of punishment does not appear except for the one who committed a forbidden act or abandoned an obligation. That negation of imān is either concerning that which is from the basis of imān or from the obligatory imān. The separation and distinction between the two indications, namely; is it a proof of kufr (the negation of the basis of imān) or a proof of fisq(Corruption) (the negation of the obligatory imān) this separation and distinction is completed by divertive evidences that are known from the texts themselves or from other texts from the Legislator (Allāh).
And whoever negated his imān by anything of the nullifiers of imān and disbelieved, then he will not be benefited by the remaining branches of imān with him if they are to be found. Whoever is deficient in the obligatory imān, then he is subject to the will of Allāh. If He wills, He may punish him, and if He wills, He may forgive him as long as the basis of imān is with him. Hence, in the area of Allāh’s threat, we do not incline towards the Murji’ah or the Khawarij just as we do not incline in the area of the terms of imān and dīn, towards the Haruriyyah(the extreme khawarij), the Mu’tazilah(Rationalist school of thought that has many deviations in its methodological principles), the Murji’ah or the Jahmiyyah.

From the fruits of this area: Covetousness in obedience and rushing to righteous action, racing to good in order for our imān to remain on the increase, as well as constantly guarding the basis of imān and sheltering it, for indeed, it is the capitol and the firmest handhold of salvation.

Kufr

And we disavow ourselves from the misguidance of the Murji’ah of this era and the Jahmiyyah of this time who do not believe imān to be in anything except rejection and denial of the heart alone. By that, they belittled kufr and made it easy; they defended the disbelieving heretics and established false misconceptions that legalize the kufr and legislation of the tawaghīt(Plural of taghut). Taghut is everything that is worshipped, followed or obeyed other than Allāh). And we believe that their statement: “A person does not disbelieve except due to rejection based in the heart.” We believe that it is an innovated statement. For rejection as was stated by our scholars from among the verifiers occurs by way of action and statement, meaning the limbs, just as it occurs from the heart; and affirmation (belief) is likewise the same in this regard. Kufr is of different types.

From it, there is; the kufr of juhud(rejection), the kufr of ignorance, and the kufr of al-‘irad(turning away). The nullifiers of Islam are many. And a person being attached to kufr is faster than one being attached to Islam (i.e. one falling into kufr is easier and more common than vice versa).


Just as imān according to us is belief, statement, and action, likewise kufr occurs by way of belief, statement and action. And from kufr, dhulm(oppression) and fisq is that which is major and from it there is that which is minor. The statement that the kufr of action is unrestrictedly minor kufr or that a mistake in belief is unrestrictedly major kufr is an innovated statement. Nay, from the kufr of action there is that which is minor as well as major. Similarly, a mistake or deviance in beliefs; from it, there is that which is major kufr as well as what is less than that.


So, there are from the actions of the limbs that which Allāh, the Most High, informed us of being major kufr and He did not make as a condition for that the accompanying of internal belief, rejection or istihlal(Believing and declaring an act to be permissible) such as; legislation along with Allāh in what Allāh gave no permission for and prostration to the sun or an idol, insulting Allāh, the dīn, the prophets or manifesting belittlement or mockery of anything from the dīn.


From it there is that which is disobedience that does not constitute kufr and that does not expel the one who does it from the fold of Islam unless he declares that to be permissible such as; fornication, theft, drinking alcohol and its likes. And we do not say: “With imān, a sin will not harm.”

On the contrary, there are from the sins that which negates imān and from them that which decreases it. We declare our disavowal from the statements of the Murji’ah that lead to denial of the ayat of threat and its ahadīth that have appeared with regards to the disobedient ones of this ummah or the kuffar, mushrikun and apostates.

And we believe that the covenant that Allāh, the Most High, took from Adam and his offspring is true and that He, the Glorified, created His slaves as hunafa’(upright upon tawhid) and thereafter the devils from mankind and jinn pulled them away from their dīn and legislated for them that which Allāh gave no permission for. And we believe that every child born is born upon the fitrah(The natural in-born belief) yet it was the parents that make him into a Jew, a Christian, a Magian or a mushrik.  

For that reason, we believe that everyone who adheres to a dīn other than the dīn of Islam is a kafir, this being the case whether the Message reached him or not. Whoever the Message reached then they are the kaffar that is persistent (upon their kufr) or a kafir that has turned away. Whoever it did not reach then he is an ignorant kafir. This is because kufr is of various levels just as imān is of various levels. Along with all of this however, Allāh, the Most High did not suffice with the evidence of the covenant or the fitrah upon His slaves.

Hence, He sent messengers to them to remind them of the covenant that Allāh took from them, and He revealed to them His books and made His last book the seal over them (the noble Qur’an) that no falsehood approaches from the front or the back. He has preserved it from alteration and He has made it the comprehensive clear evidence that is established against all whom it reaches. He said:
“This Qur’an has been revealed to me in order to warn you by it and all whom it reaches.” - [Al-An’am, 19]


So the dīn of Allāh in the heavens and the earth is one and it is the dīn of Islam.


The Kufr of Democracy

The Most High said: “Indeed, the religion with Allāh is Islam.” - [Âl-Imrân, 19]  

And the Most High said: “And I was pleased with Islam as your religion.” - [Al-Ma’idah, 3]

So, we worship by it and we declare our disavowal from everything that opposes it. We disbelieve in everything that negates it or opposes it from the disbelieving methodologies, false ways and corrupt madhahib(schools of thought) and from that, the modern innovation of kufr, that of democracy(Legislation for the people, by the people). So whoever follows it, and seeks it, then they have sought a religion other than Islam. The Most High said: “And whoever seeks a religion other that Islam it will never be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he will be from he losers.” - [Âl-‘Imran, 85]
For this reason, we declare as a kafir the one who legislates in accordance with the dīn of democracy, just as we also declare as a kafir, the one who chooses, appoints, or elects on his behalf, a legislator. This is because he has in that sought a judge, legislator and a lord besides Allāh. The Most High said: “Or do they have partners that have legislated for them in the dīn that which Allāh has given no permission for?”- [Ash-Shūra, 21]
And the Most Glorified said: “They took their rabbis and priests as lords besides Allāh.” - [At-Tawbah, 31]   Having said that, we do not declare as kuffar, the generality of people who participate in the elections, for not all of them seek legislating lords in their participation in it. Rather, from them are those that seek to choose representatives for worldly services for living. In this matter the tribulation has spread far and wide. And the motives of the candidates for election differ among those that do not directly take part in or practice legislation, such as the representatives. For that reason, we do not proceed to pronounce takfir(Declaring a Muslim to be an unbeliever) of the individuals among them as we do with those that directly perform clear kufr such as legislation and its likes. And we say: taking part in legislative elections is an action of kufr and we do not make general takfir.

Rather, we differentiate between a person’s performance of an action of kufr and placing the ruling of kufr upon him, of what that implies of establishing the evidence if the affairs become confused and the matters become mixed up, as well as the consideration given to the motives in the likes of these issues.


Takfîr

And we do not generalize the saying: “We do not declare anyone from the people of the qiblah as a kafir due to a sin.” On the contrary, we restrict it by adding: “…that is not mukkafir(One that does not constitute kufr) as long as he didn’t declare it to be permissible.” So we do not make takfir due to unrestricted disobedience and sin. And we call the people of our qiblah as Muslims and believers and the basis concerning them according to us is Islam (that they are Muslims) as long as one of them does not bring that which negates it and in which there is no preventing factor to prevent takfir of him.
We do not adhere to the statement that the people of major sins from the ummah of Muhammad (SAW) reside eternally in the fire if they die and are upon tawhīd, even if they did not repent from their sins. We hold to this in opposition towards the Khawarij and those that follow them from the extreme Mukkafirah(takfiris). Rather, we say: they are under the will and judgment of Allāh. If He, the Glorified wills, He will forgive and pardon them from His bounty, as the Most High mentioned:
And He forgives what is less than that (i.e. shirk) to whom He wills.” - [An-Nisa, 48]
And if He wills, He will punish them due to His justice. Then they will exit from the Fire due to His mercy or due to the intersession of the Prophet that He has bestowed upon his ummah or due to the intersession of the one whom Allāh is pleased with in interceding from the people of His obedience.

So, we are in the middle, between the Murji’ah and the Khawarij in the area of threat and promise and the threat and promise is all truth. And the brotherhood of imān is established for the generality of the people of the qiblah, even along with disobedience and major sins, as Allāh, the Most High textually stated that in His book wherein He said: “Indeed the believers are nothing but brothers, so rectify between your brothers.” - [Al-Hujurat, 10]

  And He said: “But whoever overlooks from his brother anything then there should be a suitable follow up and payment to him with good conduct.” - [Al-Baqarah, 178]


So we do not strip Islam entirely from the corrupt person upon the religion as is the view of the Khawarij, nor do we declare them to be eternally in the fire as is the view of the Mu’tazilah, nor do we negate from him the generality of imān and we do not describe him with absolute imān. Rather, we say: he is a believer who is deficient in imān or a believer with his imān who is a corrupt one due to his major sin. And we hope for the good-doers among the believers that Allāh pardons them and enters them into the Paradise out of His mercy and we do not feel safe for them, nor do we attest to anyone of them being in either the Paradise or the fire save he who the Messenger of Allāh SAW informed us of with that. We seek forgiveness for the wrong-doers among them and we fear for them. We do not cause them to despair of the mercy of Allāh, as despair and feeling safe expels one from the millah of Islam and the path of the people of truth, may Allāh make us from them and among them.


Upon Whom Takfir is Performed

And we have mercy upon the common folk of the Muslims from the people of the qiblah and we do not burden them with what is above their ability. So, we do not make as a condition to judge their Islam as valid that they know all of the nullifiers of Islam or that they memorize and enumerate the conditions of La Ilaha Illa Allāh. Rather, they are judged with Islam by the actualization of the basis of tawhīd and avoidance of shirk and setting up equals as long as they do not commit that which is a nullifier. We look after the conditions of takfir and we look to its preventing factors just as we take into consideration the current weakness that they (the Muslims) live in, in the absence of the authority of Islam and its rule and state as well as what has spread of ignorance and what has become widespread of misconceptions due to the small amount of knowledge and the lack of rabbani scholars(Scholars upon the true way).

Having said this, we do not declare our disavowal towards the disobedient of the believers, as our bara’ah is towards the kuffar and the mushrikun and apostates. On the contrary, the disobedient of the believers is within the fold of the allegiance of imān. We do not expel them from that as long as they remain Muslims. We only declare our disavowal towards their disobedience, corruption and sins and we do not interact with them in the manner of kuffar.


We do not perform takfir upon all who work for the governments of kufr among them, as is the case with the extreme Mukaffirah. We only perform takfir upon the one who has in his work a type of kufr or shirk such as participating in the kufr legislation or the taghuti rule or allegiance to the mushrikun and kuffar or aiding them against the people of tawhīd. And we elucidate when it comes to working with the kuffar and we do not say that all of it is kufr or forbidden.

Rather, from it there is what is kufr and from it there is what is forbidden and from it there is what is less than that. Every job is according to this. And we do not judge in the rulings of this life except with the apparent for which we have no other way to judge save by it. And it is Allāh that will take care of the secrets and take them into account. So it is not upon us to open the hearts of the people or their insides. We stand cautious just as our righteous scholars did in takfir of the people of interpretation-especially if the matter of difference was one of expressions (choice of words) or from the knowledge based issues in which the individual will be excused due to ignorance. It is not from our methodology to rush into takfir or to rush in emplacing its effects without any confirmation or seeking of clarity, for: “Declaring the blood of those who pray, who are upon tawhīd to be permissible is a serious danger. The mistake in leaving one thousand kuffar is easier than the mistake of shedding the blood of one Muslim.” - [Quote taken from Qadi ‘Iyad in ash-Shifa]
And we make a distinction in the areas of takfir between the kufr of the action or type and the individual kufr. We believe that kufr could emanate from an individual yet the ruling of it or its name does not apply to him if a condition for that is missing or there is a preventive factor in the way from the preventive factors of takfir. We believe that whoever enters into Islam with certainty, then it is not permissible to expel him from that due to doubt or suspicion for what is established with certainty is not removed due to doubt.


Bid’ah

And bida’ah(innovation) is not all upon one level. Rather, from it there is what is considered innovations of kufr and from that there is the innovation of democracy and following and seeking besides Allāh a legislator from the disparate lords. And from innovation there is what is less than that, thereby not reaching the degree of kufr.

Understanding the Qur’an

And we believe that following the al-mutashabih(Unclear ayat of Qur’an) and leaving the muhkam(Clear-cut ayat of Qur’an) is a sign from the signs of the people of innovation. And we believe that the path of those well grounded in knowledge from ahlus sunnah is to refer the unclear to the clear-cut.

Takfir and Irja’

And we do not perform takfir based on implications or the necessary implication of a statement. The necessary implication of a particular way is not considered that way unless that person also subscribes to the implied meaning of their statements or way. Similarly, we do not perform takfir upon those that transgress against us from the Murji’ah of the era and their likes from the innovators whose innovation does not reach kufr. This is as long as their mixed up affairs and difference with us is one of expression such as the mere difference concerning the contents of imān and their definition.
We do not perform takfir upon them, even if they fabricate against us and quote us as saying what we have not said or ascribe to us what we are free from. So we will not disobey Allāh concerning them even if they disobey Allāh with us. We do not perform takfir upon them due to their irja’ if it is from the likes of the irja’ of the jurists as long as their differences with us are ones of expression. We will not perform takfir of them unless their irja’ leads them to leave tawhīd and the fara’id(obligations) or leads them to kufr, shirk or allowing the two or allegiance to the tawaghīt and aiding them or participation in their legislation or assisting them against the people of tawhīd.

The Groups of Irja’

And we hate the jama’ahs of irja’ that have watered down the dīn and taken part in or allowed ruling by other than what Allāh has revealed or legislation with Allāh from within democracy or manifesting aid towards the apostates. We declare ourselves free from their path and we consider them jama’ahs of innovation and misguidance that have gone astray and led others astray from the straight path. We believe that their heads are from the callers at the doors of Hell-fire. Along with this however, we do not perform takfir upon anyone from these jama’ahs except the one from them who embraces kufr or aids it, allows it, or assists its people against the people of tawhīd. We do not perform takfir on the generality of them.

Scholars

And we guard the rights of our working scholars as well as our callers of the mujahidīn who convey the Message of Allāh and fear Him and fear none save Allāh. Our eyes are cooled by seeking shar’i knowledge and we love its students and we hate the people of opinion and the companions of innovation and theological rhetoric that give precedence to the intellects over the textual evidence or who give precedence to their benefits or istihsan(precedence) over the texts of revelation.

Public Schools

And we hate the schools of the tawaghīt and we call to abandoning them. We do not perform takfir upon those who took part in them be it learning or teaching, unless they embrace and take part in kufr or allow it or call to it. We do not forbid learning beneficial worldly knowledge if it is safe from any forbidden things. We do not call for abandoning the ways and means. We encourage the raising of children upon tawhīd and to make them aware and cognizant of the affair of their dīn and worldly affairs so that they will be truthful soldiers for the dīn of Allāh and active helpers.

Dār al-Kufr and Dār al-Islam and their Inhabitants

And we hold the view of the jurists regarding the dār(abode) wherein if the laws of kufr were uppermost and the dominance therein was for the kuffar and their legislations then it is dār al-kufr. However, we believe that this term has no bearing upon the inhabitants of the abodes in light of the absence of the Islamic state and its power and the domination of the apostates and their control of the reigns of rule in the lands of the Muslims. This term is applied to the abode if the rulings of kufr are uppermost, even if the majority of its people are Muslims just as the term dār al-Islam is applied upon the abode in which the laws of Islam are uppermost, even if the majority of its inhabitants are kuffar as long as they are submitting to the rule of Islam (dhimmah). We do not make up false principles built upon these terms as the extreme mukaffirah do; as in their saying: “The basis regarding people today is kufr unrestrictedly.” Nor do we build other rulings from that.

Rather, we deal with each person according to what he manifests and we entrust the secrets to Allāh. So we deal with those that manifest Islam in that manner and we judge them with Islam and we say that the basis is that whoever manifest the legislations of Islam is Islam (i.e. they are a Muslim) as long as they do not commit that which is a nullifier. Similarly, we deal with everyone who manifests kufr, shirk, allegiance towards the mushrikun and assistance to them against the people of tawhīd with what is apparent until they believe in Allāh alone and single Him out in their worship and remove themselves from what they are upon of kufr and declare their disavowal from it.

The shaving of the beard and imitation of the kuffar and other forms of disobedience like it is a general affliction that is spread far and wide. It is not suitable by itself as an evidence for takfir, for these are not clear causes for takfir. So, we do not make blood and wealth permissible by the likes of that as the extreme mukaffirah do. “Declaring the blood of those who pray upon tawhīd is a serious danger. The mistake in leaving one thousand kuffar is easier than the mistake of shedding the blood of one Muslim.”


The Salah

And we hold to salah behind every righteous and corrupt person from the people of the qiblah and salah upon the ones who die from them as long as they did not embrace a clear nullifier and takfir of them is prevented due to a preventing factor. We do not place anyone of them in the Paradise or Fire and we do not attest to them having kufr or shirk or hypocrisy as long as nothing of that is manifest.  


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With regards to the salah behind the appointees of the tawaghīt(The imāms of the masājid appointed by the rulers), according to us, they are either:

• One who is an ally to them, so he is like their soldier and army in assisting them or one who allows their democracy, defending and giving victory to their shirk. So as for these, we do not believe in praying behind them because they are from them and not from us. Nay, we forbid that and we command with repeating the prayer for the one who prayed behind them. “And never will Allāh give the Kafirun a way over the believers.” - [An-Nisa, 141]

• Or he is a compromiser who increases the ranks of their ministries and false positions for the sake of living and worldly life. We do not nullify the prayer behind him. The ruling of salah behind him is like the ruling of salah behind the people of corruption and thus is not innovation that is not kufr. So we hate it yet we do not declare it invalid. Salah behind ahlus sunnah and tawhīd who manifest the sunnah and manifest disavowal from the people of shirk is more beloved to us.

Dua’ for the Rulers

And dua’(supplication) for the rulers and leaders, be they Muslims or kuffar, is from the innovations of jumu’ah(friday prayer) according to us and it is a sign of one having entered into their obedience. We hate it and censure it. The salah behind the one who leaves it from ahlus sunnah is more beloved to us. We do not declare the salah invalid due to it nor do we hold that it should be repeated, unless the dua’ is clear in giving aid to the tawaghīt or their polytheistic dīn, thereby, their ruling would be that of their helpers and soldiers. Assistance by the tongue is the twin half of giving assistance by the spear.

Government Scholars

And we believe that if the scholar gives the bay’ah(Oath of fealty) to the taghut who legislates, or the kafir ruler, giving him his hand and heart or helps him, allies with him, or gives legal verdicts according to the ruler’s desire, then he is a kafir apostate. As for the one who inherits the positions in the governments of kufr from the scholars and mashayikh, then all are judged according to their positions. If in that position there is kufr or assistance of kufr or participating in the kufr legislation, or aiding and assisting the mushrikun against the people of tawhīd, then this one is a kafir according to us. The length of his beard, the grandness of his title, diploma, or turban is not a preventive factor for takfir according to us. If there is nothing of that in his position, however it is a cause for swelling the falsehood and clothing it with the truth, then they are from the heads of ignorance that are astray and lead others astray.


Jihād & Khuruj
And jihād is continuous with every group of the Muslims and the person can wage jihād by himself or with the leaders, be they pious or corrupt, until the Day of Judgment. It is not allowed to obey them in disobedience to Allāh, however, it is permissible to fight those who disbelieve in Allāh with those who disobey Allāh for a need, from the angle of repelling the greater of the two evils with the lesser of the two. However, the jihād that is under the banner of the virtuous sunnah is more beloved with us and foremost and more obligatory.

Jihād is an obligation from the obligations. It is not stopped due to the absence of the imām or the Islamic state. We do not hold to lifting the sword upon anyone from the people of the qiblah, the people of tawhīd, except the one upon whom it is obligatory to do so based upon a clear-cut evidence. Sanctity is established for them with certainty and thus is not removed except with certainty. “Declaring the blood of those who pray upon tawhīd is a serious danger. The mistake in leaving one thousand kuffar is easier than the mistake of shedding the blood of one Muslim.”


The Rulers

We do not believe in rebelling against the imāms of the Muslims, their leaders and rulers of the Muslims even if they are corrupt. We do not remove a hand from their obedience as long as they command to good. We believe that obedience to them is obligatory as long as they do not command with disobedience and we supplicate for their guidance and righteousness. We believe that it is obligatory to rebel against the imāms of kufr from the disbelieving rulers that are emplaced over the necks of the Muslims. We believe that they have apostated from the dīn due to their replacement of the shari’ah and legislation of Allāh, and seeking judgment in the tawaghīt of the East and the West and allying with the enemies of Allāh and having enmity towards His dīn and His allies.

And we believe that da’wah, action and expending efforts for the purpose of replacing them is obligatory upon the Muslims every one according to his capability. Whoever was incapable of carrying a weapon against them, he is not incapable of assisting the one who carries it, even if by dua’. We believe that the material and spiritual preparation for that is an obligation from the obligations of the dīn. And we believe that fighting them is foremost before fighting other than them because the kufr of apostasy is more severe than the original kufr according to consensus. Also, because preserving the capitol of the wealth is given precedence over profit and because jihād of defense is given precedence over the offensive jihād and because beginning with jihād against those who are closer to us from the kuffar is foremost before waging jihād against those who are further away. Also, no one has given reign for the Jews, Christians or others of the kuffar in the lands of the Muslims and made the wealth of the Muslims and their lands a gift to them except these apostates.


We assert that those who hold others back from jihād against them with flimsy misconceptions such as the claim of there being no migration or distinction between the ruler and the common fold when in battle or the lack of a strong imām over the people of Islam, we assert that they are the people of ignorance and misguidance that have issued legal verdicts without knowledge, so they are astray and they lead others astray. They have abandoned the dīn and abandoned giving it victory. Rather, we believer that fighting them under all circumstances and removing them and replacing them until the dīn is entirely for Allāh is from the most obligatory of the obligations. The migration that is necessary for that is only the migration to Allāh with tawhīd, and migration to His Messenger with adherence.

And complete serious preparation for the likes of this action is obligatory according to us and it is foremost before the individual actions and wasted efforts. And if standing up to them and hastening to replace them is not obligatory except upon the one who is capable, then the condition for it being an obligation is not a condition for its permissibility. Hence, it is permissible for a person to fight them even if by himself and even if he is certain of martyrdom and not gaining victory. Jihād is an act of worship and an obligation that is legislated until the Day of Judgment. Nothing invalidates it. It is permissible to perform it in any time such as charity when compared to zakah.

Jihād is the school in which the broad base is raised and the mighty bonds upon which the dīn is established are made firm.


At-Ta’ifah al-Mansurah

And we believe in what the Prophet SAW mentioned concerning the victorious group wherein he said: “There will never cease to be a group from my ummah, fighting upon the truth victorious until the Day of Judgment…and then ‘Isa ibn Maryam ’alayhis salam will come down and their amir will say: “Come and lead us in the prayer!” He shall say: “No, you are amirs over each other as an honor from Allāh to this ummah.” - [Narrated by Muslim from Jabir in Marfu’ form]

And he said: “There will never cease to be a group from my ummah fighting upon the command of Allāh the Mighty the Sublime, overpowering their enemies. They will not be harmed by those that oppose them until the hour comes upon them and they are upon that.” - [Narrated by Muslim from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir in Marfu’ form]

And from Salamah ibn Nufail al-Kindi, رضي االله عنهما, who said: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allāh, صلى االله عليه و سلم, when a man said: “Oh Messenger of Allāh! The people have held on to the horses and laid down their weapons and said: ‘There is no jihād for the war has laid down its burdens.’ So the Messenger of Allāh turned his face away and said: ‘They have lied. Now the time for fighting has come. There will never cease to be a group from my ummah that fights upon the truth. Allāh will deviate the hearts of some by way of them, and provide for them from them until the establishment of the hour and until the promise of Allāh comes. Good shall remain in the manes of horses until the Day of Judgment. It has been revealed to me that I will die and not remain and that you all will follow up after me, some striking the necks of others, and the base of the abode of the believers is in Sham.” - [Hadīth sahih, narrated by an-Nasa’i]
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By Shaykh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi
Jumada al-Akhirah, the year 1418 of the Hijrah of al-Mustafa[Prophet Muhammad - salAllahu Aleyhi wasallam]
This is our Aqeedah - [Download PDF - Right Click -> Save Link/Target As]

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